Bears

Bears can be found along park roads between late March and October. Commonly seen along the Icefields Parkway and Maligne Lake Road in spring, both black bears and grizzly bears are widespread throughout the Park and are even seen crossing highways or grazing just about anywhere during summer. Please be "Bear Aware" when hiking, as bears often share many of the great park spaces that people enjoy exploring during the summer months.

Mounatin Goats, Bighorn Sheep and Deer

Most people have seen elk in and around the town of Jasper, and mule deer are commonly seen around the edge of Jasper grazing, or along the Icefields Parkway. White-tailed deer are a little more shy, but can be seen throughout the park. Woodland caribou roam in isolated areas throughout the park, but their numbers are very low, rarely seen in the Tonquin valley or along a small stretch of the Icefields Parkway. Moose are occasionally witnessed feeding on aquatic plants and maligne valley bottoms, especially during their rutting season.

Mountain goats appear in Spring and in alpine meadows during the summer months. A good place for mountain goat watching is the Goats and Glaciers Lookout on the Icefields Parkway. In winter, mountain goats stay high on rocky mountain areas where wind and sun keep the vegetation snow free.

Bighorn Sheep are common in the East and South areas of Jasper National Park, from Disaster Point to the Overlander, as well as near town and the Comumbia Icefields.

Elusive Wildlife in Jasper

The shy Canadian lynx do appear more often during their mating season, but the largest of the big cats in the park, the cougar or mountain lion, is a solitary carnivore that inhabits remote valleys and is rarely ever witnessed. Wolves roam the park in small numbers, but generally keep to wilderness areas rarely traveled by people. Coyotes can be seen along roads, usually at dawn and dusk.